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The Open Group Launches Global Certification Program for IT Architects; Establishes New Industry Benchmark for IT Architecture Practitioners
NEW YORK --(Business Wire)-- July 19, 2005 -- The Open Group, along with other industry leaders including IBM, Hewlett Packard, and Capgemini, announced today that its IT Architect Certification program is "open for business." Experienced IT Architects can now apply for certification in the program. The criteria for applicants are at www.opengroup.org/itac.
Developed in response to the increasing demand for experienced IT architects, the program defines a set of worldwide standards for measuring the skills and experience of IT architects and for the operation of IT architecture practices within enterprises. The Open Group IT Architect Certification program will offer the first independent, comprehensive, global certification for determining the skills, experience and knowledge of a professional IT architect.
"The Open Group's new IT Architect Certification program represents an industry-wide recognition that IT architecture has emerged as a true discipline and is one that makes critical contributions to a modern enterprise. Industry standards for measuring expertise and experience in this area have been long overdue," said Lauren States, Vice President, Technical Sales and Software Group Enablement, IBM Software Group. "The process introduced by The Open Group's IT Architect Certification program will ensure that the industry has the right benchmark for identifying highly skilled and experienced professionals who are experts in this field."
"Certification is important for any profession and it's something that IT Architects have lacked on an industry-wide basis," said Tony Redmond, VP and CTO, HP Services. "Certification provides a comfort feeling for those who want to engage an architect, an indication that the architect is skilled in their profession and understands how to go about solving IT problems in a consistent and reliable manner. Certification further means that standards will be maintained, best practices developed, and the rogue architects who give themselves the title without any grounding in IT architecture concepts and principles will gradually be eliminated from the industry. All in all, certification for IT architects is long overdue and HP is proud to support the Open Group in their initiative to introduce and develop this important program."
"A well-defined IT architecture that supports the needs of the business is highly dependent on ensuring that key employees -- IT architects -- have the required ability, experience and skills," said Andy Mulholland, Global CTO, Capgemini. "We applaud The Open Group for leading the initiative to create a recognized global standard that will allow organizations to benchmark against these important attributes."
"The increasing demand on the world's largest and most influential companies to have the equivalent of a city planning perspective of their extensive IT systems, rather than a piece by piece approach, is driving demand for skilled IT architects," said Allen Brown, President and CEO of The Open Group. "The need to be assured that the architects they hire, or the consultants they retain, have the necessary skills, is the key driver behind IT Architect Certification."
About the Program
Establishing an experience and skill baseline, and setting certification criteria for IT architects will bring a number of benefits to customers, companies, governments, academic institutions, as well as individuals.
Organizations will gain an industry-wide benchmark for selecting qualified individuals to lead their critical programs, and will be able to verify their status in The Open Group Certification Directory. Companies with internal IT architect programs will gain credibility and increased stature for their programs. Certified professionals will get portable credentials and be able to choose the best of the available positions. Academic institutions will be able to use the skills criteria for fine-tuning their curriculum focused on IT architecture. And finally, a recognized certification standard will help ensure further industry development and elevate the practice of IT architecture and the professionals who perform it.
Certification and Accreditation Criteria and Process
IT architects who wish to be certified will need to meet the required levels of experience and skill and will be interviewed by a peer panel of Certified IT Architects. They will be able to achieve the IT Architect Certification in two ways: either by applying directly to The Open Group, or by going through a certification program that has been accredited by The Open Group. The skill and experience requirements for both the Direct Certification and the Accredited Certification are the same.
All third-party IT architect certification and professional development programs are eligible for assessment, including programs operated by major consulting firms. Those meeting the requirements will be accredited.
Certified IT Architects will be entitled to use an official certification mark as an indication of their status, and will be listed for public reference in the Certification Directory maintained by The Open Group.
Pricing
The initial certification cost is $1250 per individual, with a subsequent $175 annual fee for maintaining the Directory of Certified IT Architects.
For complete information about the program, including how to get certified, how to become an accredited partner, and the Directory of Certified IT Architects, go to www.opengroup.org/itac.
About The Open Group
The Open Group is a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, which drives the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow(TM) that will enable access to integrated information within and between enterprises based on open standards and global interoperability. The Open Group works with customers, suppliers, consortia and other standard bodies. Its role is to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, establish policies and share best practices; to facilitate interoperability, develop consensus, and evolve and integrate specifications and open source technologies; to offer a comprehensive set of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and to operate the industry's premier certification service. Further information on The Open Group can be found at http://www.opengroup.org.
Note to Editors: Boundaryless Information Flow is a trademark of The Open Group.
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